Automobile heater



y 1940- H. J. DE N. MCCOLLUM 2.200.232

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed Jan. 14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q Rh khaerzl'on15 27273 fie f lo. Gib/[m 03444 4 wd. flt

H. J. DE N. M COLLUM 2.200.232

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed Jan. 14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 7,1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE HEATER Henry J. De N.McGollum, Evanston, Ill.

Application January 14, 1937, Serial No. 120,524

16 Claims.

My invention relates generally to automobile heaters oi the internalcombustion type, and more particularly to improved control meanstherefor whereby the heater will automatically be rendered inoperativeand the flame therein extinguished whenever the temperature thereofexceeds a predetermined maximum value.

The present invention pertains to heaters of the type disclosed in myprior co-opending application, Serial No. 61,213, filed January 28,1936, and the instant application is a continuation in part of saidprior application.

In the operation of heaters of the type disclosed in my aforesaidapplication, it is desirable to provide some means for extinguishing theflame in the combustion chamber when the radiator becomes overheated.This may occur due to failure of the motor used to drive the fan orthrough other defect in the means for circulating air past the radiator.If some means were not thus provided to extinguish the flame, the heatermight, under such circumstances, become excessively hot with thepossibility of melting parts thereof and otherwise damaging the heateror adjacent parts of the automobile on which it is mounted.

It is thus an object of my invention to provide improved means forcontrolling the operation of an automobile heater of the internalcombustion type to extinguish .the flame upon failure of the fan motor,or upon any other unusual condition which might result in the radiatorbecoming excessively hot.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary central verticalsectional view of the heater and accessory parts;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the controlvalve showing the parts in normal position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs. 2 showing the valve in operation; I

Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view of a modifledform of controlvalve; :and

Fig. 5 is asectional view taken on the line 5-'-5 of Fig. 3.

As more fullydisolosed in my aforesaid applidischarged into thecombustion chamber against a baflle disc 26.

The mixture of fuel and air in the combustion chamber In is raised tothe kindling temperature by means of an igniter 28 preferably located ina 5 bore at the side of the combustion chamber I2 and communicatingtherewith through an opening 30. The forward wall of the combustionchamber is forward by a refractory ceramic plug 32 which is providedwith suitable passageways for the flow of the gases of combustion into aradiator 34 provided with a circuitous passageway for the gases, andwhich has a plurality of heat radiating fins 36 pressed thereover. Airfrom the passenger compartment of the vehicle is circulated downwardlypast the radiator 34, 36 by means of a fan 38 driven by an electricmotor 40.

The flow of the combustible mixture of fuel and air into the combustionchamber is controlled by a manually operable valve 4| which may be usedto close the inlet to a Venturi nozzle 42. The valve 4| is carried by astem 44 at the outer end of which is secured a control handle or knob46. When the valve is open, the circuitous passageway in the radiator 34communicates with the intake manifold 48 of the automobile enginethrough a passageway 50 formed in the casting I0, and through a suitabletube 52 which connects this passageway with the intake manifold.

A thermostatically operated valve 54 preferably made of thermostaticbi-metal is adapted to control the opening at the end of a passageway 56which is adapted to connect the bore 22 with the .atmosphere when theheater is in normal operation and the casting l0 heated. The heat willbe transmitted to the thermostatic valve 54 and cause the latter to opento admit additional air to the mixture of gasoline and air to make itless rich.

With the construction heretofore described, the 40 flow of the mixtureof fueland air into the combustion chamber is initiated by openingthevalve 4| which permits the suctionof the intake mani fold to betransmitted to the'auxiliary carburetor cation, the heater of myinventioncomprises generally a casting [0. having a combustion chamberl2formed therein. Liquidfuel,,. such as gasoline,

may be supplied from-a suitable auxiliary reser- 5o voir|4 or the floatbowl oftheenginecarburetor.

through a tube l6 which isjconnected to an auxiliary carburetor l6wherein the fuel is mixed with air and discharged'through a pipe .26into theibore formed in the casting Ill. The mi'x ture flows'through apre-heatingtubefl and is H! which in turn reduces the pressure at theend 45 of the pipe l6 and,- thus drawsliquid fuel from,

the reservoir l4. A more or less permanent adjustment'in the mixture maybe obtained by proper adjustment of a needle valve 58 which controls theeifective size of an opening 60 formed 50 v in a nipple 62 connectingthe auxiliary carburetor |8 with the pipe 20. Suitable means controlledby the knob and a thermostatically'operated' switch, not shown in thedrawings, but more fully disclosed in myco-p'ending application SerialNo; 55

- end of the valve seat member I8,

120,523, filed January 14, 1937, are provided for closing the circuit tothe electrically heated igniter 28, whereupon the latter will raise thetemperature of the fuel mixture in the igniter chamber above itskindling point, causing ignition of the mixture in the combustionchamber I2. The reigniter plug 32 will become heated substantially toincandescence and will serve as a means for maintaining the flame shouldit accidentally become extinguished due to some irregularity in thesupply of the combustible mixture to the combustion chamber.

The gases of combustion will flow through the passageways formed in thereigniter and hence through the circuitous passageway formed in theradiator 34 through the passageway in the Venturi nozzle 42 and throughthe passageway 58 and conduit 52 into the intake manifold of the engine.

Suitable thermostatic controls are provided, as more particularlydisclosedin my aforesaid application Serial No. 120,523, to break thecircuit to the electrical igniter 28 and to close the circuit to themotor 48 when normal operation of the heater has been attained.

If, for any reason, such as failure of the motor 48, or accidentalbreaking of the circuits supplying current to the motor 48, the motorshould cease operating, the heater would, unless means were provided toprevent it, continue operation. Such continued operation of the heaterwithout the circulation of air past the radiator to maintain it at areasonably low temperature might result in heating the radiator and thecombustion chamber parts to such a high temperature as might cause partsthereof to melt. In any event, the heating of the radiator to suchexcessive temperatures would present a fire hazard. For this reason, Ihave provided a means to put out the flame whenever the temperature ofthe radiator becomes excessive, due particularly to the failure of themotor driven fan. This means comprises a tube 64 which communicates withthe inlet end of the combustion chamber I2 through a passageway 66. Thetube 64 extends at an angle so that its upper end lies substantiallyabove the end of the radiator 34. The end of the pipe 64 is threaded toreceive a nut 68 and a. valve body 18. A.

U-shaped strip of thermostatic bi-metal I2 is apertured to fit over thethreaded end of pipe 64 and is clamped in position between the nut 68and valve body I8. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the valve body 18 isprovided with a conical seat 14 against which a hemispherical valve I6is adapted to engage. The" alve I6 is preferably formed integrally witha'stem 18 which projects through a hole 88 formed in the free end of thethermostatic strip I2. A pair of oppositely facing cup-shaped springsaddles 82, 84 are slidably mounted uponthe stem 18, being normally heldin separated position by a compression coil spring 86. Upward slidingmovement of the saddle cup 82 is prevented by ears 88 struck on the stemI8. A separator 98, illustrated as a tube, holds the spring saddle cups82, 84 separated. Under normal operating conditions, the hemisphericalvalve 16 will be held in position closing the port in the as shown inFig. 2, wherein-the bi-metal thermostatic strip 12 resiliently engagesthe lower saddle 84 and through thelatter, the spacing sleeve 98 andsaddle 82 resiliently holds the valve 16 against its seat.

When, however, the radiator becomes excessively hot due to the failureof the fan 38, the heat rising from the radiator will cause thethermostatic'strip 12 to contract to the osition in less thanatmospheric pressure, the atmospheric. pressure acting upon the valve I6will move the latter from the position in which it is shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3 to the position in which it is shown in full lines insaid figure. The resulting admission of the relatively large'quantity ofair directly to the combustion chamber upon the opening of the valve 16will extinguish the flame therein and this relatively cooler air drawninto the combustion chamber past the valve 16 will likewise tend to coolthe latter and to cool the radiator 34. The heater will thus be put outof operation until the temperature of the radiator drops sufficientlythat the thermostatic strip 12 will again resume its normal shape, asshown ,in Fig. 2, holding the valve I6 in closed position, and until thethermostaticelement which controls the electrical igniter 28 is'cooledsufliciently to render it operative again to supply current to theigniter. The sudden rush of air past-the valve I4 will make a soundsufiicient to apprise the operator of the abnormal conditions so that hemay take steps to repair the motor or other part which has failed.

The provision of the resilient connection between the thermostatic stripI2 and the valve 16 is of advantage in maintaining this valve closedimmediately close the valve I6 and prevent the possibility of the escapeof gasoline fumes from the combustion chamber to the passengercompartment of the vehicle through the tube 64.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 4 comprises a valve member 94threaded upon the end of a bent pipe 96. Rigidly clamped to the valvemember 94 by means of a nut 96 is a U- shaped strip 98 of thermostaticbi-metal which is apertured to receive'the stem I88 of a valve I82. Thevalve I 82 normally seats against the valve seat I84 formed at thereduced outer ends of the valve member 94, and preferably has a reduceddiameter extension I86 which upon opening of the valve, holds it inposition to reengage its seat upon being moved toward the latter. Theputout valve mechanism-shown in Fig. 4 operates in substantially thesame manner as that shown in vantage of closing automatically as soon asthe combustion chamber to which the pipe 96 is con-,

nected is at atmospheric pressure. Upon overheating of the radiator, thethermostatic strip 98 will be heated and its ends spread apart until anoutwardly directed force of I sufiicient magnitude is exerted therebyagainst the valve I82 to pull the latter away from its seat against thedifferential air pressure resultant Irom the reduced pressure within thepipe 98. As soon as this pressure is overcome, the valve will snap fromits seat and suddenly admit a large quantity of air to the pipe 96, andhence to the combustion chamber to which it is connected, therebyextinguishing the flame.

The put-out valve mechanisms herein shown and described thus provide asafety control which is very effective in preventing possible accidentsdue to overheating of the radiator.

The thermostatically controlled valve disclosed herein is not claimed inthis application, but is disclosed and claimed in my co-pendingdivisional application, Serial No. 177,077, filed November 29, 1937.

While I have shown representative forms in which my invention may beembodied, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theinvention may be embodied in numerous other forms, all coming within thescope of the claims which follow:

I claim:

1. In an automobile heater of the internal combustion type, a combustionchamber, means for supplying a combustible mixture to said chamber,means to withdraw the products of combustion from said chamber andconvey them to the intake manifold of the automobile engine, a heatradiator having passageways forming part of the means to conduct the hotgases of combustion from said chamber to said intake manifold, apassageway for admitting sufficient quantities of atmosphere air to saidcombustion chamber to dilute said mixture below the combustion point, avalve normally closing said passageway, and a thermostatic elementlocated adjacent said radiator and operable to open said valve when thetemperature of said radiator exceeds a predetermined maximum value.

2. In an automobile heater, the combination of a combustion chamber,means for supplying a combustible mixture of fuel and air to saidchamber, a heat radiator connected to said combustion chamber to receivethe gases of combustion therefrom and having its other end connected tothe intake manifold of the automobile engine, a motor driven fan forcirculating air from the passenger compartment of the vehicle downwardlypast said radiator, and a thermostatically controlled valve locatedabove said radiator for admitting atmospheric air to said combustionchamber in sufficient quantities to extinguish the flame whenever thetemperature above said radiator exceeds a predetermined maximum value.

3. In an automobile heater, the combination of a combustion chamber,means for supplying a combustible mixture of fuel and air to saidchamber, a heat radiator connected to said combustion chamber to receiveheat from the gases of combustion produced therein and having its otherend connected to the intake manifold of the automobile engine, a motordriven fan for circulating air from the passenger compartment of thevehicle past said radiator, and a thermostatically controlled valvelocated near the path of air flowing toward the radiator for admittingatmospheric air to said combustion chamber in sufficient quantities toextinguish the flame whenever the temperature above said radiatorexceeds a predetermined maximum value.

4. In an automobile heater, the combination of a combustion chamber, aradiator connected to receive the heated products of combustion fromsaid chamber, means to connect said radiator to the intake manifold ofthe automobile engine, a thermostatic element having one end fixed andlocated adjacent said radiator in a position displaced from the normalpath of air which has been heated by said radiator, a passagewayconnecting said combustion chamber with the atmosphere of a size toadmit to said chamber sufficient air to quench combustion in saidchamber, a valve normally held in position closing said located adjacentsaid radiator in a position displaced from the normal path of air whichhas been heated by said radiator, a passageway connecting saidcombustion chamber with the atmosphere of a size to admit to saidchamber sufficient air to quench combustion in said chamber, an inwardlyfacing valve seat in said passageway, a valve cooperable with said seat,a stem for said valve, a pair of spring retainers on said stem, a

spacing sleeve around said stem between said retainers and a springsurrounding said stem and compressed between said retainers, the freeend of said thermostatic element engaging one of said retainers andnormally exerting a force through said sleeve to hold said valve againstits seat, said thermostatic element relieving pressure on said retainerwhen the former is heated above a predetermined temperature and therebypermitting said valve to open when the'difference in the pressures uponthe opposite sides thereof are sufiicient to'overcome the force of saidspring.

6. In a heater, a combustion chamber, means to connect said combustionchamber to a source of suction, atmospheric pressure operated means tosupply a combustible mixture of liquid fuel to said combustion chamber,and means responsive to excessive heat derived from the gases ofcombustion to admit air from the atmosphere into said combustion chamberin quenching quantities.

'7. In a heater, a combustion chamber, means to connectsaid combustionchamber to a source of suction, atmospheric pressure operated means tosupply a combustible mixture of liquid fuel to said combustion chamber,and heat responsive means to supply sufficient quantities of air to saidcombustible mixture supplying means to extinguish combustion and coolsaid heater.

8. In an automobile type heater, the combination of a combustionchamber, means to supply a combustible mixture of fuel and air to saidchamber, means to ignite said mixture, a heat exchanger connected toreceive the products of combustion from said chamber, means to connectsaid heat exchanger to a source of suction, a fan for forcing air pastthe exterior of said heat exchanger, means for driving said fan, andmeans responsive to heat received from the heat exchanger naturalconvection air currents to admit atmospheric air to said combustionchamber at a relatively rapid rate, whereby, upon accidental cessationof operation of said fan while said heat exchanger is hot, the flame insaid combustion chamber will be extinguished.

9. In an automobile type heater, the combination of a combustionchamber, means to supply continuously a combustible mixture of fuel andairto said chamber, means to ignite said mixture, a heat exchangerconnected to receive the products of combustion from said chamber, meansto connect said heat exchanger to a source of suction, a. fan forforcing air past the exterior of said heat exchanger, means for drivingsaid fan, and means responsive to heat received from the heat exchangernatural convection air currents to extinguish the flame in saidcombustion chamber to permit said continuously supplied combustiblemixture to cool said heater.

10. In an internal combustion heater for automotive vehicles, thecombination of a combustion chamber, means to supply a combustiblemixture of liquid fuel and air to said chamber, means for igniting saidmixture in said combustion chamber, a heat exchanger having a passagewayextending therethrough and connected to receive the products ofcombustion from said chamber, a conduit for connecting said passagewayto the intake manifold of the vehicle engine, and a thermostaticallyoperated valve for admitting atmospheric air to said combustion chamberat a relatively rapid rate thereby to extinguish the flame thereinwhenever the heater becomes excessively hot.

11. In an internal combustion heater for automotive vehicles, thecombination of a combus-' tion chamber, means to supply a combustiblemixture of liquid fuel and air to said chamber,

means for igniting said mixture in said combustion chamber, a heatexchanger having a passageway extending therethrough and connected toreceive the products of combustion from said chamber, a conduit forconnecting said passageway to the intake manifold of the vehicle engine,a relatively large port for admitting atmospheric air to said combustionchamber, a valve normally closing said port, and a bimetal thermostaticele- -ment normally resiliently holding said valve closed and operablewhen subjected to greater than a predetermined temperature to rendersaid valve free to open.

12. In aninternal combustion heater for automobiles, the combination ofa combustion chamber, means for supplying a combustible mixture of airand liquid fuel to said chamber, a heat radiator having a circuitouspassageway therein and connected to receive the. products of combustionfrom said chamber, a conduit connecting said passageway to the intakemanifold of the automobile engine, a motor driven fan above saidradiator for circulating air from the passenger compartment of theautomobile past said radiator, a valve for admitting atmospheric air tosaid combustion chamber at a sufficiently rapid rate to extinguish theflame therein, and a thermostatic element located above said radiatorand resiliently holding said valve closed when the element is at normaloperating temperatures, and operable to open said valve when operableupon a predetermined increase in temperature to render the heaterinoperative.

14. In an automobile heater, the combination.

of a radiator located in the passenger compartment thereof, means forsupplying a heating medium to said radiator, a motor driven fan forcirculating air from the passenger compartment downwardly past saidradiator, a bimetal thermostatic element controlled means located abovesaid radiator and operable upon upward flow of heated air from saidradiator, resultant upon cessation of operation of said motor drivenfan, to cut oif the supply of heating medium to said radiator. a 15. Ina heater for automobiles, the combination of a fuel and air mixingdevice, a combustion chamber connected to receive a combustible mixturefrom said. device, and temperature controlled means for admitting'air tosaid combustion chamber in sufficient quantities to extinguish the flametherein when the temperature in the passenger compartment of the vehicleexceeds a predetermined maximum value. v

-16. In an internal combustion heater for automotive vehicles, thecombination of a combustion chamber, means to supply a combustiblemixture of liquid fuel and air to said chamber, means for igniting saidmixture in said combustion chamber, a heat exchanger having a passagewayextending therethrough, located in the passenger compartment of thevehicle, and connected to receive the products of combustion from saidchamber, a conduit for connecting said passageway to the intake manifoldof the vehicle engine, and a thermostatically operated means to admit anexcess of air to said chamberthereby to extinguish the flame thereinwhenever the heater becomes excessively hot.

HENRY J. DE N. McCOLLUM.

